


Worries Erased

by ThatWasntSoBad



Series: Terraegis (Terra x Aegis - Kingdom Hearts) [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Birth By Sleep timeline, F/M, Fluff with Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Mentioned Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), maybe a smidge ooc (sorry about that!)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29357748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWasntSoBad/pseuds/ThatWasntSoBad
Summary: Aegis had left The Land of Departure with Ventus only, at somehow at Radiant Garden, they got separated. Whilst struggling with the knowledge she had lost her friend and coming to terms with the likelihood of Terra and Aqua being rightfully frustrated by her irresponsibility, she's surprised to see Terra. Once again, he knows how to comfort her.
Relationships: Terra (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Character(s)
Series: Terraegis (Terra x Aegis - Kingdom Hearts) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156547
Kudos: 2





	Worries Erased

The stars were bright in the night sky and Aegis could only sigh. Ventus practically  _ dragged  _ her away from The Land of Departure, running after Terra and Aqua, yet he seemed to have  _ disappeared  _ when she turned her back for ten seconds. Radiant Garden was hardly the biggest world she had walked on, but her search had brought no sign of him. It was feasible that they had simply skipped passed each other whilst searching for the other, but it felt unlikely.   
  
She leaned against the stone barrier that stretched across the bridge - stretching a mile or two at most - with low shoulders. Her arms crossed on top of the barrier that came to her chest, staring blankly at the lake that surrounded the town, mountains reaching the sky.   
  
Ventus could be anywhere among those stars - the worlds, sparkling like jewels of hope amidst the darkness. Alone. Lost. She was sure that if Aqua or Terra fond out -   
  
“Aegis?”

She froze, eyes wide. Her blood ran cold, pulse quickening as her hands curled into fists to hide the trembling of her fingers, sweat beading uncomfortably at the small of her back. Terra’s voice cut through the quiet of the night, surprise clear as day. It was as if the mere thought of him had summoned him right to her side.   
  
“Hey, Terra.” Aegis managed to look in his direction, hiding her surprise with a strained smile.   
  
“You should be back home.” Although his words were curt, his tone was neutral. It wasn’t a reprimand, much to her delight. Not that it would have made much difference considering the circumstances. “Unless Master Eraqus sent you here, too?”   
  
Aegis looked away, eyes downcast as she stared at her hands. “No. Ven left to go after you and Aqua. I went with him - figured it would be more beneficial.”   
  
“I sense a  _ but  _ coming on?” Terra was resting against the barrier next to her. His arm was almost touching hers, his body heart emanating through the sleeves of her top. She looked further away, turning her head in the opposite direction of Terra. “What happened?” 

Terra’s tone was laced with concern. She hated how he was being  _ gentle  _ when she had just inadvertently  _ lost  _ their friend. The way his hand shifted closer to her arm, his leather vambrace brushing against the stone. She felt his eyes bore into the back of her skull and she sighed quietly, looking back to the horizon.    
“We got separated.” Aegis unfurled her arms, letting her hands drape over the edge. “I turned around to help a little boy who had tripped, then I turn back around and Ven’s just… gone.” She turned her hands so her palms faced the sky, making an action as she mouthed  _ poof.  _ “Just like that. No sign, no trace. Not even a sound. And he’s not  _ that  _ quiet. It wasn’t even noisy at that time. It’s like…. Someone came, took him right from under my nose. He would have said if he was going anywhere, right?” Aegis groaned quietly. “This one’s on me. Again.”

Terra’s hand was warm upon her shoulder. “How is getting separated on you?”   
  
“Ven was my responsibility as soon as I left with him: keep him safe, help him however I can, be a  _ good  _ friend. All that stuff. But how can I do that when - he could be held hostage somewhere, being tempted down a terrible path, and it would be my fault - “ Her throat tightened and her fists clenched for a brief moment. Aegis brought her hands up to her face as soon as she felt the burning of tears behind her eyes. She  _ needed  _ to hide, regain control somehow.  _ Deep breaths. Think good thoughts of finding him.  _

_   
_ Not that it was working. And pretending like she was simply frustrated was a cracked mask, exposed by the way her shoulders tensed and hunched. Her mouth forced itself into a cruel twist as a sob wracked her body, one she quickly attempted to hide, the quiet squeak she wished with her whole being Terra didn’t hear. He’d only be nice when she didn’t deserve anything but a lecture and she had brought it upon herself.

But he did, didn’t he? Terra had an ear for the quiet cries. An eye for the way she hid her emotions behind her hands, a smile, a laugh, a mimic of another: anger, exhaustion. She couldn’t hide from him. He knew  _ every  _ reaction she had to her own tears - every single one. She’d cried in front of a mortifying number of times to the point where she would be surprised if he didn’t bring tissues everywhere he went - just in case he ran into her.

The hand upon her shoulder shifted to the other as he shifted. Terra brought her against his chest and she needed little encouragement to melt into him, arms trapped against him, fingers clutching at his shirt like it was a lifeline. Her knuckles were white, the tips of her fingers felt through the fabric she clutched. If it wasn’t for the cotton, nail marks would undoubtedly be left upon her palms.

The muscle’s of Aegis’ face ached, kept in a tight posture to hold back yet another sob. She thought that would make them fade away into nothing - as if they had never happened. The warmth of Terra’s tight hold of comfort engulfing her had, once again, proved her wrong. A supportive hand ran down her back to linger against her small, encouraging her legs closer and out of the awkward half lean with her weight being half against him and half on the balls of her feet. She managed to free her arms from between their bodies and wrap them around his torso and she turned her head to bury her face in the centre of his chest.   
  
Terra was quiet except for his breathing, the gentle sigh he released through his nose. Even as her shoulders quaked  _ again  _ he didn’t say a thing. Not verbally. Rather, he held her little tighter than he already was. Not to hurt - not that he ever did hurt her - but to soothe. Aegis felt his pulse through her arm and she shifted her head against to hear it. With her ear pressed against the rough vicinity, the gentle pattern helped her relax again. Terra didn’t need to speak to tell her things that would help her calm, or, in theory, should. His actions told her everything she needed. 

Her tears finally began to subside, her shoulders no longer tensing, her face relaxing. The tightness in Aegis’ throat faded away and she swallowed, sniffed, and sighed.   
“I’m sorry. I know it’s something stupid to cry over -”   
  
“Maybe it’s not something everyone cries about, but it’s not stupid.” Terra grasped her shoulders. 

  
She released her hold, wiped her nose on the back of her wrist with another sniff as she lifted her head from his chest. She looked down at their feet, still humiliated by the breakdown that caught her by surprise. Aegis opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again. She roughly wiped a silent tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. Even if it wasn’t stupid, it didn’t stop her from feeling like it was. How could she  _ lose  _ someone like that? How could she  _ lose  _ Ventus? He was hardly small. Radiant Garden was hardly unending. But eight hours of searching had revealed no sign of him. If he was going somewhere, he would have  _ told  _ her. He would have let her know. He didn’t wake her up to go after their friends for no reason. Maybe he was still looking for her, maybe he was on the bridge on the other side of town.

Terra tilted her face to look at him, his index below her chin, and he smiled at her.  _ How could he smile so beautifully at her?  _ “Neither are you.” He cupped her cheeks, thumbs wiping away her tears, “Ven will be just fine. He’s probably looking for you right now.”

Aegis hummed in agreement, the sound still wobbly. “You aren’t mad?”   
  
“I am, but not at you.  _ Or  _ Ven.”  
  
She saw the downcast gaze Terra cast to the side for a brief second, the flicker of  _ something  _ within his eyes. She might not have known his  _ exact  _ thought process, but she wouldn’t be doing her duty as a friend  _ and  _ lover if she didn’t know him or his heart. “It’s not your fault. You told him to stay, right? You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. There’s only so much you can do before it’s out of your control. We made the decision to leave, knowing the likelihood of anyone being happy about it would be very low. You didn’t lose Ven, you know. You weren’t  _ here  _ when it happened.” Aegis leaned into him again - not for her comfort, but for his. She was relieved when he allowed her to, arms weaving around her again. “You aren’t responsible for us  _ all  _ the time, you know. Ven and I were each other’s responsibility. Just like now, we’re responsible for each other. Though, I wish you’d let me be  _ more  _ responsible over you, honestly.”

“You wouldn’t know where to start.”   


Aegis caught the sound of amusement within his voice. There was truth to his words but if she didn’t try, she would never know how to be there when he wasn’t at his best. “Well, we all start somewhere, right? And if my current predicament as taught me anything,” she released him and returned to looking out at the horizon, “it’s I need to do better. Get better eyes - I don’t know. Maybe, I just need to be better at observations so I can - huh?” A bar of chocolate was held in front of her face, her eyes wide in mild surprise. “I’m going to assume it’s in front of my face because you… want me to have it?” Terra hummed. She had guessed correctly. “But it’s yours.”   
  
“I knew you’d say that.” Aegis watched Terra pull another bar - identical to the one he still held in front of her - from his pocket. “So I bought two.”

“You sound like you had  _ planned  _ on this.”

Terra threw a sheepish smile at her. “I saw you when the sun was setting. I was already picking up a few items and I thought you could use a cheer-me-up.” 

Aegis hummed. “Yeah-huh. And you didn’t follow me because…?”   
  
“I lost sight of you.” Aegis took the bar he, once again, shook in front of her face as he spoke. “You’re harder to look for than I thought.”

She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Wait, you were looking for me?”   
  
“I was worried.” 

“Don’t worry yourself to death every time I’m in a tizz, Love.”

Terra took her hand in his. “You would for me.”    
  
She smiled “Yeah. I would, huh?” His hand was warmer than hers, as it always had been. It was comforting. Soothing.A sure way to remind her, quite simply, that  _ these things happen  _ and it was rarely ever her fault. “Thank you, Terra. For being here.” She released a quiet sigh. Aegis’ smile remained, though it was weaker and showed more self-deprecation than she had intended. “I’d be lost without you.”   
  
“You’ll be fine.”   
  
“No, I won’t. You ground me, you know? If you didn’t show up when you did, I’d be curled in a ball on this bridge struggling to get out of a breakdown, calling myself a terrible friend, you know?”   
  
“I know the feeling.”   
  
Aegis slid her fingers between his and he squeezed her hand. “You can help me search around a final time if your schedule allows for it.”   
  
“I was going to suggest the same thing. We should start now. Before you fall over your own feet in exhaustion.”

She laughed once again, quiet but clear as day. “You know me well. Lead the way."

Although the search for Ven was going to last longer than she had wanted, Aegis was glad to have company. Glad to not be alone. Glad that Terra wasn't giving her a what for. She knew that they'd end up booking room and board for the night and when the light came again Terra would have to continue, but at least she would be able to tell Ventus one of their friends was okay. 

And whilst the moment was due to end in at most twelve hours with the coming of first light, she had to find a way to repay him for the chocolate. She could always buy four bars. 


End file.
